Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1886 — LAND OFFICE STATISTICS. [ARTICLE]

LAND OFFICE STATISTICS.

A Statement of the Public Lands Disposed Of During the Last Fiscal Tear. [Washington special.) The amount of public lands disposed of the past five years is 100,974,134 acres. This is equal to four States like Kentucky, four like Indiana, nearly three like Illinois, or one like California. It is a good deal larger than Great Britain and Ireland, and is equal to aboutthree-fourths of France or Germany. On an average the United States has disposed of one Ireland per annum for the past five years. The area disposed of last year was 20,974,134 acres, which is nearly a million acres more than the previous year, but nearly six million acres less than in 1884, when more than eleven million acres were disposed of in Dakota alone. Dakota, which in 1879-80 jumped far ahead of Kansas and which has been immensely ahead of Nebraska since that year, has fallen now to the rear of both these States. Nebraska dropped below li million acres in 1884 and 1882,hut it has risen above three million acres in each of the last three years. Kansas has come rapidly to the front, partly becau e the extraordinary Dakota boom has spent much of its force, and partly because there has been some rainfall lately in the western part of the State. Kansas fell from a million and a half acres in 1880 to less than A million in 1882, but the acreage disposed of in Kansas rose to nearly fourteen hundred thousand in 18H4, over three millions in 1885, and more than five and a half millions last year. Last year the total receipts from public lands were $7,412,767, and tue total expenses $625,234. There were 37,836 cash sales, including preemptions, desert-land entries, etc., covering 3,773,498 acres, for which $5,757,891 was received. There were 61,638 homestead entries, covering 9,145,135 acres, for which $892,210 was received. There were 34,996 timber-culture entries, covering 5,389,309 acres, for which $480,630 was received. The following table shows the disposals for cash and under the homestead and timber-culture laws by States and Territories for the vear 1885-6: Timber Homestead culture Cash sales, entries, entries, States. acres. . acres. acres. Arkansas 24,891 249,884 2,C53 Arizona 116,275 28,027 15,772 California 32 >,403 472,116 155,674 Colorado 252,598 281,801 719,947 Dakota 706,060 1,185,138 1,116,250 Florida 76,883 139,474 Idaho 110,157 102,332 49,959 lowa 420 967 2,869 Kansas 396,334 3,224,214 1,920,802 Louisiana 49,194 81,617 9,914 Michigan 47,778 56,550 Minnesota 110,702 235,810 65,026 Mississippi 31,904 95,874 Missouri 20,420 244,155 Montana.... 152,309 68,633 43,031 Nebraska.... 477,596 1,590,410 . 967,706 Nevada..... 573 2,717 120 New Mexico..... 117,953 67,894 15 603 Oregon.-. 114,824 287,231 93,160 Utah 92,226 711,975 25,632 Washington 96,885 290,513 85,645 Wisconsin....... 131,815 105,700 Wyoming.. 293,132 59,447 100,167 T0ta1...3,773,493 9,145,135 5,389,309